ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal (PBM) is empowering the people affected by hearing loss via its cochlear transplant program. The program has benefited a large number of deserving citizens over two years.
“The total cost of a procedure is around Rs1.3 million,” the PBM spokesman Sultan Mehmood told WealthPK.
“The PBM provides up to Rs1 million. The remaining cost is managed via partnerships,” he said.
“Transparent Hands covers the remaining Rs0.3 million,” a senior official at the PBM told WealthPK.
“They are partner financiers in this program,” he said.
However, this amount only covers the cost of the device.
“Rs1.3 million is only for the device. There are additional costs associated with surgery and medical consultation… we have partnered with selected public and private hospitals to waive off these expenses,” he said while explaining the financial mechanics of the program.
Talking about the eligibility criteria of the program, the senior official explained, “We are targeting children born with disability (hearing loss). Registration is done online on a first come first served basis.”
The program is closed for families of government servants.
Additionally, an income ceiling of Rs30,000 per month has been set to ensure only the most vulnerable are serviced. Income verification is done on-spot by the PBM officials after looking at required documents.
When asked about their archaic approach to income verification, the PBM official said that their budget did not allow them to carry out a national survey and develop a database.
“However, we might be formalizing an information sharing agreement with Ehsaas Program soon.
This would allow us to access Ehsaas’s National Socioeconomic Registry (NSER) to check eligibility,” the official said.
Access to NSER will allow the PBM to instantly verify an individual’s eligibility through a verified database.
“The program has serviced 200 plus people since its inception,” the official said.
Financing is a barrier in the expansion of the program. The device has to be imported, which leads to the high acquisition cost.
“The non-profit nature of our institution means that cash is only disbursed. We do not make a profit on anything,” the official stated. The PBM is currently running multiple projects nationwide.
“We are inaugurating a Panahgah (shelter home) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It will ensure that people in Muzaffarabad have a place to stay and food to eat,” the PBM spokesperson said.
INP
